I wouldn’t roll the dice and return it as is. An estimate takes 20 mins at a drive in claim center.
I can’t tell how bad that is from the pic but if they charge you to repaint it at lease return it won’t be cheap. The tow company has insurance, better to make the claim sooner then later imo.
It’s too hard to tell. 12 inches would be excessive, however if it’s literally under the car where you have to crawl under to see it, I seriously doubt anyone will notice it. YMMV though, and I’m not going to definitively say you won’t get dinged.
So what does the $600 protection plan offer?
is a drive in claim center from an insurance company? when I tried a regular body shop I made an appointment and then the estimator left before I got there, and i’m back to square one
Almost feels like protection plan needs to be baked into the lease for US Bank for anyone worried about return and then compare that to Ally and TFS (for example) rates without such protection plan.
What company offers protection plan, is coverage reliable?
In the northeast, maybe bc there’s so many shitty drivers. You schedule with the body shop. They take a couple pics and send you an estimate via email. Very quick process. Your insurance company should be able to point you to a body shop. I would notify them of the damage asap. Let them go after the towing company.
I actually called a couple and they said I should to go the dealer due to the issues with paint matching. Then the dealer told me that it definitely wouldn’t be an issue since it’s completely under the car. I still scheduled wit hthem to look at it but I guess im freaking out over no reason. I don’t want to get my insurance involved in case they submit some records that might increase my premium
I wouldn’t trust the dealer. They’re also not the captive. There’s only one way to protect yourself and that’s to disclose it to insurance and have them go after the towing company. If they don’t pay the claim out of their pocket your rates won’t increase.
ok thanks for the advice. I’ll still get the estimate from the dealer. I was dealing with Alfa customer support (who sent the towing company) and they told me to send to them. but if that doesn’t work out ill go with insurance.
Wanted to bump this to see if this has improved or is still going on. I just had my lease end inspection on my 17 Dodge Durango yesterday by AutoVIN. The inspection report posted today, and stated no damage found or no charge or whatever. However, it also states the open ended nature of the inspection and notifies that another inspection will be performed AFTER I turn it in. This is concerning to me as well, because it is a black vehicle and nobody can drive a black SUV for 35,000 miles and have it still look like showroom condition. There is a small area on the rear bumper that, according to the guide, are not excess wear and tear, but noticeable enough that I could see them hitting me up for a new bumper. I am trying to lease a new 4Runner, but I am flat out worried about a $2000 bill coming my way in a month! Any new experiences, good or bad? I also have at least one quote on a 4Runner that is through US Bank, but not sure I want to go through this again.
Is your “small area on the rear bumper” addressed in the AutoVin report? It should state if its excess or not.
No, she never noted it. I am not sure she even saw it. But what’s to say that it won’t be found on the “second inspection”? And even though I could probably just fix it myself, I think the point is where does it stop? There are a gazillion things on the car, under the car, and inside the car that show some form of wear and tear after three years. What is to stop US Bank from picking any one of them just to find some way to squeeze a little more juice out of my lease?
Absolutely ridiculous and THIS post alone would give me serious consideration as to leasing anything through them.
As an aside I just ended a lease with Ally and I had their “Smart Lease Protect” option. That being said the lack of a third party pre-inspection has made me a tad uncomfortable as I wait for my final close out statement.
Please update after your return. I hope you documented your vehicle before returning it also. I would always get a 2 minute video of everything regardless of the leasing company
I’m turning in a 16’ F-150 in Feb. Just had the inspection done by Aim. I had a number of chips everywhere, cracked fog light, tailgate dent (nickel size no paint), and a cracked windshield. The only charge noted on the report was for the windshield ($493.87). The guy said if I get it repaired and document it there will be no wear and tear charges. We will see what happens when I turn it in. After reading all the negative comments here and on other sites, I’m not holding my breath! I’ve never had wear and tear charges on the last 8+ leases. Will update after turn in.
That’s not a bad price for a windshield. No reason to repair it
This is true.
I wanted out early on a Ram and I asked the G.M. of the local Ram dealership to buy the car from me and resell to the third party.
It cost me about $400, doc fee plus a $100 inspection report they have to do on all cars they sell.
Bear
What is your comprehensive deductible? Some insurers won’t charge deductible for glass repair only, and some won’t charge for replacement if glass repair was attempted first. May be worth investigating.
I had a large chip in my windshield from a rock hit and insurance waived my deductible for repair. I said repair vs replace. They attempted repair and cracked the glass. Insurance covered the replacement free of charge due to repair being attempted first.
No rate increase? I’d be scared of that for a $400 windshield